Afraid

It’s amazing how Isaac could do the exact thing to Rebekah that Abraham did to Sarah:  deny that she was his wife, and say that she was his sister instead.

Amazing because Isaac wasn’t even born when Abraham had his two incidents with the Pharaoh and Abimelech.

Did Abraham give him this advice when going into foreign territories?  And if Abraham did, why didn’t he warn Isaac of what had happened to him?

But ultimately, fear can cause us to do stupid things.  That’s what happened to Abraham.  And that’s what happened to Isaac.

The problem with fear is that it often blinds us to the possible consequences of our actions.

We fear our future, so we turn to astrology or fortune telling.

We fear being alone, and so we marry someone we know we shouldn’t.

We fear losing our boyfriend or girlfriend, so we sleep with them.

We fear rejection from our family and friends, so we deny our Lord in words and actions.

But that’s not how God wants us to live.  He doesn’t want us to live in fear, wondering what will happen to us in the future.

He wants us to live trusting him.

He wants us to live knowing that he loves us and that he’ll take care of us.

He wants us to live knowing that he wants our best.

If only we would believe that.

As the writer of Psalm 91 penned,

He who dwells in the shelter of the Most High will rest in the shadow of the Almighty.

I will say of the LORD, “He is my refuge and my fortress, my God, in whom I trust.” (1-2)